Ejection mechanism for tape player

Claim 1

In an ejection mechanism for a tape cassette player having vertically disposed drive shafts for engaging the spool bores of a cassette when said cassette is moved in a downward direction thereonto, said player including a frame positively fixed with respect to movable elements of said ejection mechanism, said ejection mechanism being operable to accept a cassette partially inserted into a forward or front portion of said mechanism onto a pack guide and urged to the rear thereof by the operator, said ejection mechanism including a guide arm pivotally mounted on said frame and coupled to raise said pack guide to an ejecting position responsively to a rotation of said guide arm, a pack stopper mounted for front-to-rear motion along said guide arm, a first or ejection link pivotally mounted on said guide arm, an inversion spring coupling said ejection link to said pack stopper and disposed to withdraw a partially inserted cassette engaging said pack stopper further into said pack guide or to urge said pack stopper to eject said cassette according to the angular position of said ejection link, and an ejection member mounted for reciprocating front-to-rear motion and having associated therewith first biasing means for biasing said ejection member forward, the improvement comprising: an operation member disposed proximate to said ejection member and mounted for reciprocating front-to-rear motion and having associated therewith second biasing means for biasing said operation member forward; a connection member coupled between said operation member and said ejection link to rotate said ejection link in opposite directions by reciprocating motion of said operation member; releasable latch means configured to lockingly couple said ejection member and operation member together as a coupled pair in the forward positions thereof; latch release means for actuating said latch means to a releasing condition at a terminal portion of the rearward stroke of said coupled pair to release said operation member to be urged to said forward position by said second biasing means to rotate said ejection link by said connection member to assist in the ejection of said cassette; and coupling means for coupling said ejection member to said guide arm so that during an initial portion of the rearward motion of said ejection member said guide arm is pivoted to raise said pack guide to said ejecting position.